“A lot of dudes up there, they’ve been kind of used to being second tier to Ohio State and Michigan. I don’t want to be that anymore,” Cain said before last week’s Under Armour All-American Game in Orlando. “I want to be the new Ohio State, the new Michigan, be at the top of the Big Ten, have the opportunity to go to the Final Four.

“I see the pieces they have, and the pieces we have in the 2019 class, and we can help them get over the hump: beat Ohio State, beat Michigan, become that new face of the Big Ten, become the new face of college football.”

Penn State running back Miles Sanders announced that he will forgo his final season of eligibility for the NFL draft. Sanders is the fifth Penn State player to declare for the draft and the second consecutive running back to leave early, joining last year’s No. 2 pick, Saquon Barkley.

“As I prepare...

With Alabama set to face Clemson on Monday in their fourth straight College Football Playoff title game, most programs are asking the same question as Penn State: How do we become the new face of college football?

As part of his “great-to-elite” speech after Penn State’s loss to Ohio State in October, coach James Franklin promised to make sure that everyone in his program “including myself” is very uncomfortable, “because you only grow in life when you’re uncomfortable.”

“We’ve been knocking at the door long enough,” Franklin added.

How does that translate into building a playoff team? Let’s count the ways.

We are going to find a way to take the next step.— James Franklin, Penn State coach

Penn State coach James Franklin said his ‘great’ program lost to an ‘elite’ program in Ohio State.

Penn State coach James Franklin said his ‘great’ program lost to an ‘elite’ program in Ohio State.

Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting

Cain’s recruiting class is one of the highest-ranked ever at Penn State. Its average star ranking (3.89, according to the 247Sports recruiting site) ranked third in the nation, behind Georgia and Alabama. The class has 17 players ranked as four-star prospects or higher, the most since Rivals.com began its recruiting rankings in 2002.

Over the past four years, Penn State has brought in 62 players ranked as four-star prospects or higher, the most ever for the program. Ohio State, which Franklin called “elite” in October, has had 71. Alabama recruited 83.

Coaches insist that stars don’t matter once players arrive on campus, which is true. But the better programs populate themselves with a lot of talent. Franklin is moving Penn State in that direction, having made recruiting a strategic and financial priority.

Penn State spent $258,800 on recruiting in 2011, according to athletic department financial statements. In 2017, Penn State spent more than $1.2 million.

In the three weeks between the regular season’s end and the beginning of the early signing period Dec. 19, Franklin visited 23 states and flew more than 15,000 miles to recruit players. But he’s not satisfied.

Recruiting extends beyond players. During game weeks, Franklin pages through opponents’ media guides. In reading Michigan’s, Franklin noted that coach Jim Harbaugh has 13 more football-specific staff members than Penn State to handle recruiting and personnel matters, to break down game film and generally to run a program.

That leads to the next step.

Pay up

Franklin’s salary increases $850,000 this year to a guaranteed total of $5.35 million before bonuses. That marks the largest single-year increase of Franklin’s new 2017 contract, proving how important Penn State graded this season during negotiations. But he’s not the only coach getting more money.

At the Citrus Bowl, Penn State Athletic Director Sandy Barbour said she agreed to a salary-pool increase for football assistants. That’s important, because the market is booming for in-demand assistants and strength personnel.

Penn State does not make assistant-coaching salaries public, but the pool has been expanding. Football salaries have risen every year since 2014, from $10.6 million to $11.4 million, according to athletic department financial statements.

Penn State has spent more than $30 million on renovations to the Lasch Football Building, with another $30 million to come, Barbour said. In all, Penn State spent $39.8 million to run its football program in Fiscal Year 2017, and the budget will increase.

“Certainly, football drives the train,” Barbour said. “Drives it emotionally, drives it financially. But we kind of like to win in volleyball and hockey and wrestling and soccer and down the line. That’s going to take a lot of resources.”

All-in

One of Franklin’s favorite expressions involves urging everyone at Penn State to “pull the rope in the same direction.” He includes coaches, administrators, fans and donors, but the appeal begins with his players.

Franklin took over at Penn State as the third head coach for some players. They were coach-weary, and it took time for that residue to dissolve from the program.

The 2019 team will be Penn State’s first with a roster entirely recruited and coached by Franklin. They’ve all heard his message and, presumably, bought into it. But it’s not always that easy.

“You can’t have any doubters, you can’t have any people straying from the course,” safety Nick Scott said after the Citrus Bowl. “If guys are able to do that and be 100 percent all-in, I think that this team will be very special — national-championship special.”

Scott, a fifth-year senior and captain in 2018, added that the younger players can take time to bring along. They arrive as fawned-over recruits but soon realize that demanding coaches and 5 a.m. winter workouts are the reality.

“It’s extremely hard to have 120 guys all thinking the same thing and all being unselfish,” Scott said. “But obviously the fewer guys we have who are focused on them, the more successful we will be.”

Player/coach development

Franklin has called the “recruiter label” a slight, saying he’s more proud of how his coaching staff has developed players. Last year, for instance, Penn State had six players selected in the NFL draft, the most since 2010.

But this season, Penn State had lapses at receiver and on the offensive line, which led to mixed rates of success. The Lions averaged more yards per carry and per game rushing, but the completion rate fell by almost 20 percent. Further, the offense allowed 31 sacks (six in the Citrus Bowl), two more than last season.

To become a playoff contender, Penn State has to be more successful at developing dominant offensive lines. Franklin has recruited high-end talent (Rasheed Walker, Juice Scruggs, CJ Thorpe and Michal Menet were four-star prospects), but linemen traditionally take the longest to develop. Penn State’s Citrus Bowl line had more than 130 combined starts, however, and still allowed six sacks.

“Get to the game early,” the Nazareth High graduate said the night before Penn State played Wisconsin. “I might be on the Jumbotron.”

Al Dotson...

Franklin and his staff have plenty of professional development work to conduct, especially on offense. Ricky Rahne is entering his second year as offensive coordinator and with a new quarterback. He showed some deft touches with Trace McSorley, particularly in encouraging his command of the run-pass offense, but relied too much on quarterback runs and mistimed some calls. It didn’t help that the receivers underperformed, directing too much offensive responsibility to McSorley.

Under Pry, the defense took forward steps all season (particularly on the line) but couldn’t make stops in the biggest moments against Ohio State, Michigan State and Kentucky. Pry has plenty to build on, however, and will be vital to any playoff run.

Meanwhile, special teams took a tangible step backward under first-year coordinator Phil Galiano, putting that unit’s future in doubt. To become a playoff contender, Penn State needs to take its developmental steps at the top.

“We are going to get this done, I give you my word,” Franklin said. “We are going to find a way to take the next step.”